5 Ways Live Streaming Will Make Your Events Successful

07-05-2017

No doubt, you can list countless reasons why to not live stream your event. Maybe you've convinced yourself that live streamed events symbolize the death of face-to-face meetings. After all, who would come to your conference, workshop, or seminar when they can just 'tune in' via live video?

Putting your worries aside, do you know what's worse than going live with your events? Not going live with your events! Yes, that's right - if you want to keep up with the competition, attract a bigger audience, or level up your game, you'll have to ignore your fears and start live streaming your events.

According to CISCO, "Mobile video traffic accounted for 60 percent of total mobile data traffic in 2016." Statistics show that live videos have 8x more engagement than recorded videos (VOD): "While VOD average per play is 5.1 minutes, live averaged 42.8 minutes per play."

As you can see, the world is moving toward live video content, meaning you have a new option to explore, and possibly expand your revenue. To make up your mind, here are a few ways live streaming can help you plan and run truly successful events.

You can reach a global audience

Imagine people from all around the world being able to attend your event and share the same experiences. Sounds complex, yet live streaming makes it simple. By live streaming your conferences, seminars, or conventions, you’ll be able to extend the reach of your event. You’ll have access to a global audience, meaning that everybody will know about your event.

As Kevin Van der Straeten, the founder of eventplanner.tv and the author of EVENTS 2 - How to organize a successful event?highlights, "Live streaming can be an interesting option when your target group is diverse and widely spread or when it is impossible to get all your chosen invitees to a single location at short notice."

Also, by exceeding the capacity of your venue rooms, you'll increase the brand awareness, gain viewers and multiply the number of your attendees, and build a truly international community.

You're able to engage people who aren't even in the room

One of the biggest cons of live stream events is that you have less opportunity to communicate and interact with like-minded people who can't attend your event in person. But a pro is that you can enrich your conference, seminar, or convention with comments or questions from your global audience. Also, by using Twitter to communicate with the viewers, you’ll boost the event’s online presence.

Live streaming increases the number of attendees for future events

It may sound surprising, yet Digitell statistics show that "Up to 30% of people attending a live streamed event have attended the live physical event the following year." Thus, you can use live streaming as a powerful method of promoting your event.

Although it’s much easier to access an event online, people are influenced by the human factor and the need for face-to-face interactions. This way, by virtually experiencing the vibes of your event, there’s a good chance that the online guests will want to attend your next event in person.

You can monetize 'live stream' experiences

“But people who pay to attend my event will feel discriminated if I live stream it for free,” you might be thinking. No doubt, you have to be fair to your in-person attendees. But also be sure to acknowledge that your guests have something the viewers don’t, which is the possibility of networking, not to mention food, a social program, workshops, etc.

Second, you can monetize your live stream events. According to Karen Allen, a strategist for digital entertainment, people are willing to pay for live stream and non-premium content. So how about working on a market plan for your live stream event videos?

You'll have access to low-priced, high-quality production tools

Do you want to live stream your events, but are stressed about the costs? No worries! The live stream business is constantly evolving, meaning you have access to inexpensive resources that will allow you to provide high-quality live streaming for your events.

Do some quick market research and you'll be surprised by how many options you have. If you aren't sure yet about live streaming your events, you can experiment with your smartphone. Post live videos on your event's Facebook page and see how it looks. This will cost you nothing. Give it a try!

Wrap up

The main takeaway from this article is to not fear live streaming your events. All the reasons that are currently stopping you from doing it are misconceptions. You won't lose in-person attendees, and it won’t be costly. By live streaming your events, you’ll have access to an international public, be able to engage a larger audience, gain new means of promotion, and increase the number of people who'll attend your next event. Wait no more - it's time to make your events live!

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